Best Cigar in the Shop: Davidoff Colorado Claro Double R

Originally published at Tiki Bar Online

Double R (Double Robusto), 7.5” x 50 ring gauge / $33, Maxamar Ultimate Cigars

It’s been a while since I did a “Best Cigar in the Shop” post. I had wanted to do one based on the opinions of just about all the people I work with at Burns Tobacconist in Chattanooga, but…it turns out some of them don’t have an opinion (ahem…jacobross..coughcough)…and some of them ended up just agreeing with what others had said. So I ended up going all the way to Maxamar Ultimate Cigars in Orange, California, for this next installment (Maxamar is another of our fine sponsors, specifically through their Small Batch Cigars website). Amar, the owner, told me that in his opinion, the Davidoff Colorado Claro Double R was probably the best cigar in the shop…and maybe the best cigar he had ever smoked. I told him that the Special R (Robusto) was one I had smoked a couple times and I agreed that it was fantastic. He said, “The Double R is even better.” So I got one…and waited until my birthday last week to light up this magnificent example of fermented and aged leaves.

The Colorado Claro line is a semi-regular release from Davidoff…in that it is available to appointed retailers at certain times. Amar told me they had actually stopped releasing it for 5 or more years at one point and made it sound like the latest release might be exhausted within the next 8 or 9 months. “Get all you can, while you can!” is the implied message here. I myself have long been skeptical about any cigar that retailers for $12 or $15 or $20…or in this case $30!!!…but Davidoff has proven that sometimes, the price is justified. Simply put, I really do love these cigars and I do have to plan on buying some extra Colorado Claros before they disappear…I just need to figure out if I can be satisfied with the Special R (Robusto) or if I need to think about getting some Double R (Double Robusto).

As always, the wrapper was beautiful, a rich reddish brown with a glossy oily sheen. The aroma from it was earth and wood. I got the same earthiness and and woodiness upon lighting up this large cigar, along with some of that signature Davidoff woodsy mushroom on the palate and an angry red pepper bite on the nose. I’m almost glad I didn’t know earlier in life just how good these cigars were…I certainly would have spent far too much on them when I had less to spend. The flavors were exquisite and clean, the body was just full enough, the look and feel of the cigar as it burned were simple luxury. No, I’m not rich…not even close…I’ll probably never own a Davidoff desktop humidor, but the occasional smoking of one of their best cigars…perhaps one of the best cigars, period, full-stop…makes one feel rich.

So what else is there to say about this Davidoff Colorado Claro Double R? It is truly an exquisite cigar and definitely worthy of consideration as “Best Cigar in the Shop” no matter what shop you are in. I did thoroughly enjoy this experience, but was left feeling like it was almost too much cigar. So, for me, I think the Special R size would be the better purchase, although I might go ahead and pick up one or two of these for some future special occasion as well.